NFB - The cure for cancer?

[Hemogoblin]

Orphan drugs? Cool, didn't know that...thanks bro

Cheers,
Steve

[Red20170]

A tumor will send out signals to get your own body to supply it with blood vessels, and will drain the blood supply, nutrient supply, and ultimately, the body can't survive.

It's called Angiogenesis.
Their was a special on NOVA about a new set of drugs designed to stop this. here is the link to watch.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/cancer/program.html

[zebragirl83]

BTW where are you going to school zebragirl?

First of all... to Hemoglobin... i wasn't saying cancer is "smart" in the literal sense of the word.... but the way cancer spreads and does exactly what it's programmed to do 99.9% of the time, to me, makes it pretty "smart"!! In fact, I could think of a lot of humans who aren't as consistent as this disease... "smart" as in writing a book... well no... but "smart" as in multiplying and dividing, being the simple cells that they once were... well absolutely!!

And I am at the University of Alabama...

also... yes it does cost a lot of money to keep research going on these drugs... the thing about it is that there are a lot of experiments going on that some we know about and some we don't... every once in a while the government will stop research on a drug, for whatever reason, again, some we know about and some we don't... the ones we do find out about always seems to get flack from the press as that the government is keeping the world from health. Unfortunately for the rest of the world our government has to concentrate on studies that are going to directly effect the people of the United States, not Africa... now if, in turn, a discovery is made in America that will positively effect another country, then that's WONDERFUL... but if the government uses our tax dollars to research African diseases that aren't running rampant in America then people in our families suffering from Parkinson's Disease, cancer, aids, etc will not get the research they deserve because we don't have the money... and then the press will sure have a hayho good time with that one... I guess what I'm trying to get to is a take away message of.... trust the government and scientists when it comes to issues of health and wellness... democrat, republican it doesn't matter... they are trying to do what's best for us!

[Steel2686]

Agreed. Our Government will always have it's problems, but we're a unique Government in which we care about our people. If we were talking about a propoganda-filled country (North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, etc...) I would agree, but our Gov't goes above and beyond which is what makes this such a great country.

[Hemogoblin]

if the government uses our tax dollars to research African diseases that aren't running rampant in America then people in our families suffering from Parkinson's Disease, cancer, aids, etc will not get the research they deserve because we don't have the money...

Wow, that's quite a statement, and I thank God that most researchers don't think that way. Most scientists, and all doctors for that matter, are in the business of helping people. Period. Where they are from, what colour they are, whatever, it doen't matter. To end human suffering should be a goal for everyone. Including these multi-BILLION $$$ drug companies. That was really all I was saying. I just think it's unfortunate that peoples lives are judged on their ability to generate a profit, but I can understand it. These companies have shareholders that want their return, bottom line. They don't become "attached" to the work these drug companies do, and they do that so that they won't feel emotion in making these difficult decisions. Believe me, you'll never see a CEO in the labs checking out what's going on. He wants to see the dollar signs, not the bleeding hearts. And hey, isn't that what they get paid for?

Let's agree to disagree Good on ya for taking on science as a career. I finished my genetic engineering degree, then pushed into chemistry and I'm now going to become a dentist. Go figure! Good luck to ya.

Cheers,
Steve

[zebragirl83]

Wow, that's quite a statement, and I thank God that most researchers don't think that way. Most scientists, and all doctors for that matter, are in the business of helping people. Period. Where they are from, what colour they are, whatever, it doen't matter. To end human suffering should be a goal for everyone. Including these multi-BILLION $$$ drug companies. That was really all I was saying. I just think it's unfortunate that peoples lives are judged on their ability to generate a profit, but I can understand it. These companies have shareholders that want their return, bottom line. They don't become "attached" to the work these drug companies do, and they do that so that they won't feel emotion in making these difficult decisions. Believe me, you'll never see a CEO in the labs checking out what's going on. He wants to see the dollar signs, not the bleeding hearts. And hey, isn't that what they get paid for?

Let's agree to disagree Good on ya for taking on science as a career. I finished my genetic engineering degree, then pushed into chemistry and I'm now going to become a dentist. Go figure! Good luck to ya.

Cheers,
Steve

That's fine... we can agree to disagree, but I don't understand why I'm being mis-quoted... I didn't say scientists, doctors, pharmacist, etc. don't care about people regardless of ethnicity, if they didn't, then they wouldn't be wanting the money to research the drugs in the first place. I said our government doesn't have the money to research anything and everything. That's not scientists, that's the government looking out for America's best interests. And I 100% agree with you that drug companies stink... Let me be the first to tell you, as a pre-pharmacy student in the biology field, I wish that some of these CEO's would do what their company set out to do in the first place and give some of the millions of dollars back to their companies, unfortunately, they're not. I'm not saying that I don't wish with all of my heart and soul that we could help poor and suffering people, I plan on that being my career one day, what I'm saying is that I feel blessed that I was privileged enough to live in America and I'll be D@##ed if my mom, dad, or any family member or friend is gonna die because there wasn't enough research done on a drug that would help them because all the tax money was used researching some disease that isn't even in the U.S. yet.
That might sound bad at first glance, but take a look back at it and I think you'd agree... please don't take what I said the wrong way... when I said we, I meant WE as a country, not we as my family

[Mark B]

I guess its just me. But I hate putting things in my body that arent susposed to be there. I guess if I was on my death bed, my mind might change, but for just stupid little stuff like colds & stuff... I would rather let my body take care of it on its own.
I feel the same way about surgery. A few of my friends have had knee surgery and ever since then, they always have had a "bad knee." But once again, I have never been in a situation where I have had a bad knee that needed surgery, so mabey its worth it, but I just dont know.

[zebragirl83]

I guess its just me. But I hate putting things in my body that arent susposed to be there. I guess if I was on my death bed, my mind might change, but for just stupid little stuff like colds & stuff... I would rather let my body take care of it on its own.
I feel the same way about surgery. A few of my friends have had knee surgery and ever since then, they always have had a "bad knee." But once again, I have never been in a situation where I have had a bad knee that needed surgery, so mabey its worth it, but I just dont know.

I'm actually the same way... I never take headache medicine or anything like that... Actually, I feel like medicines and stuff are prescribed to anyone and everyone for absolutely the wrong reasons... that's kind of the reason I want to be a pharmacist

[95TransAm]

I guess its just me. But I hate putting things in my body that arent susposed to be there. I guess if I was on my death bed, my mind might change, but for just stupid little stuff like colds & stuff... I would rather let my body take care of it on its own.
I feel the same way about surgery. A few of my friends have had knee surgery and ever since then, they always have had a "bad knee." But once again, I have never been in a situation where I have had a bad knee that needed surgery, so mabey its worth it, but I just dont know.

I wish my body took care of my allergies better. Not even noon yet, and I must have sneezed a hundred times today.

[Mark B]

What scares me about medicines is of course the side-effects. My body was never meant to have dihyposodumdextrosulfateoxyde in it. That kind of stuff has to throw other functions out of wack.

Just for the record I have no idea what "dihyposodumdextrosulfateoxyde" is, I was just trying to type the longest word I could. haha

[Disifer]

dihyposodumdextrosulfateoxyde

Never heard of it. You might mean dihydrosodiumdextrosulfate. You can't add an oxygen substituent to a sulfate. Well....you might be able to make it somehow but you would have to add an extra valence electron and that will not work. The formula for the above probably fictional molecule would be H2Na(C6H9O6)S03......that so doesn't work. That's the thing with fictional molecules. Just use a different naming standard for a simple molecule. Dextrose=glucose->common name. The IUPAC name is 6-(hydroxymethyl)tetrahydropyran-2,3,4,5-tetraol. Now there's a mouthful. I miss organic chemistry already.

[Steel2686]

Never heard of it. You might mean dihydrosodiumdextrosulfate. You can't add an oxygen substituent to a sulfate. Well....you might be able to make it somehow but you would have to add an extra valence electron and that will not work. The formula for the above probably fictional molecule would be H2Na(C6H9O6)S03......that so doesn't work. That's the thing with fictional molecules. Just use a different naming standard for a simple molecule. Dextrose=glucose->common name. The IUPAC name is 6-(hydroxymethyl)tetrahydropyran-2,3,4,5-tetraol. Now there's a mouthful. I miss organic chemistry already.

Are you two making up words again?




D&R

[95TransAm]

Never heard of it. You might mean dihydrosodiumdextrosulfate. You can't add an oxygen substituent to a sulfate. Well....you might be able to make it somehow but you would have to add an extra valence electron and that will not work. The formula for the above probably fictional molecule would be H2Na(C6H9O6)S03......that so doesn't work. That's the thing with fictional molecules. Just use a different naming standard for a simple molecule. Dextrose=glucose->common name. The IUPAC name is 6-(hydroxymethyl)tetrahydropyran-2,3,4,5-tetraol. Now there's a mouthful. I miss organic chemistry already.

My head hurts

[zebragirl83]

Never heard of it. You might mean dihydrosodiumdextrosulfate. You can't add an oxygen substituent to a sulfate. Well....you might be able to make it somehow but you would have to add an extra valence electron and that will not work. The formula for the above probably fictional molecule would be H2Na(C6H9O6)S03......that so doesn't work. That's the thing with fictional molecules. Just use a different naming standard for a simple molecule. Dextrose=glucose->common name. The IUPAC name is 6-(hydroxymethyl)tetrahydropyran-2,3,4,5-tetraol. Now there's a mouthful. I miss organic chemistry already.

I DON'T!!!! you just made my stomach hurt all over again... and brought back many many hurtful memories and long nights... thanks Disifer!!!!

[Disifer]

rofl
sorry. I didn't make up the dextrose name. Naming molecules is almost like making german compound words. They just keep adding and adding....